Hydroponic methods of growing plants in particular food crops are well known. Problems associated with prior art hydroponic apparatus include regular replenishment of liquid and not with standing that hydroponic apparatus enable plants to be grown without soil, such apparatus often requires space and depending on the crop, hot-housed. In conditions where resources and land are expensive, for example, Japan, the added costs of building hothouses, heating, electricity, materials and labour can contribute to make the overall cost of growing crops hydroponically a prohibitively expensive exercise. There are other problems such as positioning the apparatus so that the plants receive uniform exposure to light to produce consistent yields. This can present a problem where hydroponic systems are not easy to move or are permanent fixtures.